Hershel Rolen Smith

Thursday

May 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 29, 2008 at 5:23 PM

Graveside services for Hershel Rolen Smith, 89, of Grangeville, Idaho, will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 30, 2008, in the Los Osos Valley Cemetery in Los Osos, Calif. Smith will be interred beside his wife.

Graveside services for Hershel Rolen Smith, 89, of Grangeville, Idaho, will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 30, 2008, in the Los Osos Valley Cemetery in Los Osos, Calif. Smith will be interred beside his wife.

Born to James Edward and Lydia Pearl Smith in Hugo as one of 10 children, he died May 22, 2008, at Grangeville Health and Rehabilitation, where he had been a resident since 2006. He married Lucille Maxcy on June 24, 1939. He was preceded in death by the love of his life, Lucille, on June 29, 1996; his parents; his sisters, Pearlie, Ethel, Rosie, Viola and Emma Lois; and brothers, Earl, Ernest, Manuel and Cleo.

His family relocated to Lone Grove and Ardmore. During the Depression, Hershel “rode the rails” with his brothers and brother-in-law between Oklahoma and California seeking work. In his teens, he was hired at Rancho Sespe, a citrus and avocado ranch located in Fillmore, affiliated with the University of California. The family of his childhood sweetheart, Lucille Maxcy, also moved to Ventura County, where the couple was married. Hershel and Lucille welcomed their only child, daughter Cecilia, in 1947.
Hershel enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Following his enlistment, he returned to his job at Rancho Sespe, where he worked as a ranch foreman until the early 1950s.

Hershel and Lucille were contacted by a Jehovah’s Witness in 1949. They had a very deep and lasting love for their creator Jehovah and his promises. They spent the remainder of their lives sharing Jehovah’s promises and the Bible’s teachings with all who would listen. Hershel and Lucille moved back to Lone Grove in 1957, where they resided until 1959 assisting the small congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ardmore.

Hershel and Lucille moved to Porterville, Calif., in the summer of 1959. There, Hershel started Smith Brother’s Building Maintenance. Hershel sold the business in 1976 and moved the family to Arroyo Grande, Calif. Hershel and Lucille managed a motel in Pismo Beach for 10 years, finally retiring in 1989.

Hershel and his daughter, Cecilia Hastie John, moved from California to Grangeville in 2001. He dearly loved the people and the beauty of the Grangeville area. He was especially appreciative of the care he received by the staff at Grangeville Health and Rehab. Throughout his life, he was known for his abiding love of all animals, large and small.

Survivors include his daughter and son-in-law; his beloved sister-in-law, Iva Smith; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services are under the direction of Blackmer Funeral Home, Grangeville, Idaho. Condolences may be made online at www.Blackmerfuneralhome.com.

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